Old Gator alerted me to this fascinating development. It seems that some old records — including accounting ledgers, business records and 15 canisters containing 16 mm films — belonging to the Philadelphia A’s and dating from 1915-1954 have been uncovered.

They were retrieved out of a dumpster years ago, then sat in a garage and then found on eBay. They’re now in the hands of a historian who is making a big documentary about Connie Mack. Given the time frame, they should shed massive amounts of light on how a team that was as successful as the A’s were in the early part of the 20th century turned into a team that was basically a laughing stock as we reached the century’s middle years. Sure, Mack got old and lost his fastball, but I’m sure there were all manner of business reasons for that we still don’t know everything about.

With Odorizzi, the Twins finally have the front-end starter they’ve been seeking all winter. It’s a bargain deal as well, as the 27-year-old righty is under contract through 2019 and didn’t require the club to part with any of their top-shelf prospects in the trade. Odorizzi will be looking to stage a comeback in 2018 after a dismal performance with the Rays last year, during which he eked out a career-worst 4.14 ERA, 3.8 BB/9 and 8.0 SO/9 through 143 1/3 innings.

Palacios, 21, ranked no. 27 in the Twins’ system last season. He split his year between Single-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers, raking a combined .296/.333/.454 with 13 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 539 plate appearances. He’s expected to continue developing at shortstop, though he’s also seen limited time at second and third base during his four-year career in the minors.